Air Squared, Inc.¶
Location: Thornton, CO (relocated from Broomfield 2022; new 22,000 sq ft facility Apr 2024)
Type: Industry (small business, 40+ year history)
FO Project: 106684 (ZVCR — Zero-Gravity Vapor-Compression Refrigerator)
Outcome Category: SBIR Portfolio Company — FO is one slice of a broad NASA scroll technology portfolio; core technology flew on Mars (MOXIE/Perseverance)
Last updated: Session 70, 2026-04-07
Confidence: Confirmed (MOXIE flight), Suggestive (FO→ISS pathway)
Summary¶
Air Squared is a 40-year-old scroll compressor company that has become a critical NASA supplier of oil-free rotating machinery for space applications. Their FO project 106684 tested a vapor-compression refrigerator on parabolic flights (TRL 4→6, 2020–2021). But the FO project is a small piece of a much larger story: Air Squared's scroll compressor was the only moving component in MOXIE, which produced oxygen on Mars for the first time in history on April 20, 2021.
The company holds 17 NASA contracts totaling $6.73M+ across Mars ISRU, lunar ISRU, cryogenic propellant handling, next-generation spacesuits, and ISS food storage. Core technology: oil-free spinning scroll machines that work in any orientation and gravity level — exactly what space applications demand.
Why this matters for FO: Air Squared exemplifies the "SBIR Portfolio Company" archetype (same as Blueshift/Outward). The FO parabolic flight was a $188K validation step, but the company's value proposition — reliable, oil-free scroll technology for extreme environments — is being pulled into multiple NASA programs simultaneously. FO didn't create MOXIE, but the same core technology that FO tested for refrigeration is what made oxygen on Mars.
FO Project: 106684 — ZVCR¶
- Title: Vapor Compression Refrigeration System for Cold Food Storage on Spacecraft
- Period: 2020-07-14 to 2021-08-18
- TRL: 4 → 6
- PI: Stephen Caskey
- Description: "To be written" (TechPort description field empty)
- Partners: Purdue University, Whirlpool Corporation
- FO contracts: 80NSSC20C0228 ($100K) + 80NSSC20C0229 ($88K) = $188K
- SBIR Phase II: 80NSSC18C0049 ($1.02M, 2018–2021) — preceded FO flight
Technical achievement: Current ISS refrigeration (thermoelectric) has COP of 0.36. Air Squared's ZVCR targets COP of 3.5 — a ~10× efficiency improvement. The oil-free scroll compressor is key: conventional compressors rely on gravity-fed oil lubrication, which fails in microgravity.
Status: Prototype tested on parabolic flights (2020–2021). ISS deployment was identified as next step but has not been confirmed. The SBIR Phase II ($1.02M) pre-dated the FO flights, suggesting FO was a validation checkpoint, not the genesis.
The MOXIE Connection — Oxygen on Mars¶
Contract: NNX15CP77C ($607K, JPL, 2015–2018)
Air Squared developed the CO2 scroll compressor for NASA's Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) on the Perseverance rover. Two designs were submitted; JPL selected the single-stage model (P11H024A-BLDC-SH) in June 2016. Specs: ≥100 g/hr mass flow, ≥760 Torr outlet at 7 Torr inlet, <1.8 kg, <175 mm length.
Result: On April 20, 2021, MOXIE produced oxygen from CO₂ in the Martian atmosphere — the first extraction of a natural resource from another planet for human use. Over 16 runs through August 2023, MOXIE produced up to 12 g O₂/hour (2× original target) at 98%+ purity. The scroll compressor was the only moving component.
FO↔MOXIE relationship: The FO project [106684] tested refrigeration scrolls; MOXIE used gas compression scrolls. Same core technology (oil-free spinning scroll), different applications. The FO flights (2020) came after the MOXIE flight hardware delivery (~2018), so FO did not feed into MOXIE. They are parallel product lines from the same technology platform.
Full NASA Contract Portfolio¶
| Award ID | Amount | Description | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80NSSC18C0049 | $1,020K | SBIR Ph II: ZVCR food storage refrigerator | 2018–2021 |
| 80NSSC23CA068 | $850K | SBIR Ph II: Helium Transfer Scroll Pump System (HTSPS) | 2023–2025 |
| 80NSSC18C0050 | $753K | SBIR Ph II: Mars Atmosphere Scroll Compressor (MASC) — Mars ISRU | 2018–2020 |
| 80NSSC18C0184 | $750K | SBIR Ph II: CryoScroll cryogenic spinning scroll pump | 2018–2020 |
| 80NSSC20C0123 | $750K | SBIR Ph II: Spinning Scroll Boost Compressor for xEMU spacesuit | 2020–2022 |
| 80NSSC22CA145 | $750K | SBIR Ph II: Lunar ISRU Contaminant-Tolerant Scroll Vacuum Pump | 2022–2024 |
| NNX15CP77C | $607K | MOXIE scroll compressor (JPL, flew on Perseverance) | 2015–2018 |
| 80NSSC21P1977 | $178K | Dev unit: in-space pneumatic helium transfer compressor | 2021–2022 |
| 80NSSC22PA934 | $150K | SBIR Ph I: Helium Transfer Scroll Pump | 2022–2023 |
| 80NSSC20C0605 | $125K | SBIR Ph I: Isopentane heat pump scroll | 2020–2021 |
| 80NSSC21C0204 | $125K | SBIR Ph I: Lunar regolith oxygen extraction scroll | 2021 |
| NNX17CP22P | $125K | SBIR Ph I: Mars CO₂ compression (MASC precursor) | 2017 |
| NNX17CM14P | $124K | SBIR Ph I: CryoScroll cryogenic pump | 2017 |
| 80NSSC19C0396 | $124K | SBIR Ph I: Spacesuit boost compressor | 2019–2020 |
| NNX17CJ15P | $124K | SBIR Ph I: ZVCR refrigeration | 2017 |
| NNX13CJ20P | $116K | SBIR Ph I: Original cryogenic scroll pump concept | 2013 |
| 80NSSC20C0228 | $100K | FO contract — ZVCR parabolic flights | 2020–2021 |
| 80NSSC20C0229 | $88K | FO contract — ZVCR parabolic flights (2nd) | 2020–2021 |
Total NASA tracked: $6.73M+ across 17 contracts (2013–2025)
Technology Application Map¶
Air Squared Core Technology
Oil-Free Spinning Scroll
|
┌───────────┬───────┼───────┬──────────────┐
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
Mars ISRU Cryo ISS Food Spacesuits Lunar ISRU
(MOXIE + Propel. Storage (xEMU) (O₂ + vacuum)
MASC) Pumps (ZVCR/FO)
| |
↓ ↓
PERSEVERANCE ISS candidate
Apr 2021 (not yet deployed)
O₂ ON MARS
Timeline¶
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| ~1986 | Air Squared founded (40+ year history) |
| 2013 | First NASA SBIR: cryogenic scroll pump concept ($116K) |
| 2016 | JPL awards MOXIE compressor contract ($607K) |
| 2017 | Three SBIR Phase I awards: ZVCR, CryoScroll, Mars CO₂ |
| 2018 | Three SBIR Phase II awards: ZVCR ($1.02M), MASC ($753K), CryoScroll ($750K); MOXIE hardware delivered |
| 2020 | FO parabolic flights for ZVCR (TRL 4→6); Spacesuit compressor Phase II ($750K) |
| 2021 | MOXIE produces oxygen on Mars (Apr 20) — scroll compressor is the only moving part |
| 2022 | Lunar ISRU vacuum pump Phase II ($750K); Helium Transfer Phase I |
| 2023 | Helium Transfer Phase II ($850K); MOXIE completes 16th run (Aug 7, 2023) |
| 2025 | Helium Transfer Phase II active through Aug 2025 |
FO contribution gap: The FO ZVCR project ($188K) was a small validation step. The SBIR Phase II ($1.02M) predated it. The company's most impactful work — MOXIE — came through a separate JPL contract. FO was not causal for any of Air Squared's major achievements.
Assessment¶
Archetype: SBIR Portfolio Company (same as Blueshift/Outward). Air Squared has one core technology — oil-free spinning scrolls — deployed across 6+ NASA application areas via 10+ SBIR awards spanning 12 years. The FO project is a minor entry point; the real story is pervasive SBIR engagement.
FO's role: Minimal. The ZVCR parabolic flights validated zero-gravity refrigeration operation, but the SBIR funding predated FO, and the technology hasn't reached ISS yet. FO was a $188K checkpoint in a $6.7M+ NASA relationship.
Company significance: Very high. Air Squared's scroll technology is literally on Mars. The company demonstrates how a non-aerospace specialty manufacturer (industrial scroll compressors) can become a critical space supplier through sustained SBIR engagement. They are the "secret ingredient" in MOXIE that most people have never heard of.
Confidence Assessment¶
| Claim | Confidence | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| FO project TRL 4→6 | confirmed | TechPort |
| MOXIE scroll compressor made by Air Squared | confirmed | JPL contract NNX15CP77C; Air Squared press releases; MOXIE documentation |
| First oxygen produced on Mars, Apr 20, 2021 | confirmed | NASA, Wikipedia, multiple sources |
| $6.73M+ total NASA contracts | confirmed | USASpending (17 records) |
| ZVCR deployed to ISS | not confirmed | No evidence of ISS deployment |
| COP improvement 10× over ISS current | suggestive | Air Squared claims COP 3.5 target vs ISS 0.36 |
| Whirlpool/Purdue partnership | confirmed | Air Squared website |
Sources¶
- TechPort 106684
- USASpending.gov (17 awards for Air Squared, LLC, queried 2026-04-07)
- Air Squared MOXIE announcement (Feb 2016)
- Air Squared NASA showcase
- Air Squared Space market page
- MOXIE Science Advances paper (2022): doi:10.1126/sciadv.abp8636
Session 70 Update (2026-04-07) — New Verticals + Venus Connection¶
Facility and scale: Air Squared relocated from Broomfield to Thornton, CO in 2022 and expanded into a new 22,000 sq ft facility (2.5× larger) in April 2024. ZoomInfo reports $26.9M annual revenue (2026). CEO: Bryce Shaffer. IATF 16949:2016 certification received August 2025 — this is an automotive quality standard, signaling expansion into EV/automotive scroll compressor markets.
Tritium / Fusion Energy — NEW VERTICAL: Air Squared is developing all-metal tritium scroll vacuum pumps for fusion energy applications: - Peer-reviewed paper published May 2025: "Continued Testing and Modeling of the AirSquared All-Metal Tritium Scroll Pump" in Fusion Science and Technology (Taylor & Francis) - Exhibited at Tritium 2025 (Sep 2025, Ottawa) — showcased V14H028A-AC-H hermetic tritium pump (15 m³/hr) - 40 m³/hr design demonstrated; 75 m³/hr in development; targeting 150 m³/hr for ITER - DOE-funded (not NASA) — represents significant revenue diversification beyond space
Venus Aerobot Connection: The Helium Transfer Scroll Pump System (HTSPS, 80NSSC23CA068, $850K) is specifically for JPL's variable-altitude Venus aerobot concept. The scroll pump transfers helium between inner reservoir and outer balloon to control altitude (52–62 km in Venus atmosphere). This is a direct space application beyond Mars — Air Squared's scroll technology now touches Mars (MOXIE), the Moon (lunar ISRU), ISS (ZVCR), spacesuits (xEMU), and Venus (aerobot).
New product line — Air Suspension (Feb 2026): Announced a continuous duty scroll compressor for air suspension — automotive/transportation market entry, consistent with IATF certification.
No new NASA contracts found. The 17-contract, $6.73M NASA portfolio is unchanged. No ISS ZVCR deployment confirmed. No MOXIE successor contract identified.
Revised assessment: Air Squared is broader than the space-focused KB page originally captured. The company is a multi-market scroll technology platform — space (NASA), fusion energy (DOE/ITER), automotive (IATF), and industrial. The $26.9M revenue and 22K sq ft facility indicate a mid-sized manufacturer, not a small SBIR shop. The tritium/fusion vertical may eventually exceed the space revenue.